


A Long Trip

by Kingshadow486



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 08:59:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12251190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingshadow486/pseuds/Kingshadow486
Summary: Hiccup goes on an expedition and his wonderful boyfriend tags along, much to Toothless' dismay.





	A Long Trip

           “Dad I’m leaving!” Hiccup yelled towards his home, knowing his brute of a father probably didn’t hear it. The Chieftain didn’t like that the dragon rider was leaving for so long, but if he trusted the other riders enough then it would have to be enough for Stoick. Gods know he’s as stubborn as his father. Sometimes that was a good thing.

            “All right, all right, I’m coming!” The chief’s voice bellowed from the house moments before he came outside. Hiccup was getting up so early lately he beat the sun and nest of dragons. He was still spry and wide eyed, a lot like Toothless. They’d been eager to get some flying time. Genuine, active, run-of-the-mill exploring. No one could stop him now that he had his mind set on it; he’d done more than enough to help the village recently. It was nice to see him so excited to do something, especially as just the two of them.

            “I’m all set.” Hiccup said with a grin as his father walked up.

            “Are you sure you can’t leave later, son? Everyone in the village will miss sending you off.”

            “I know dad, but I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Besides, I don’t think either of us can wait any longer to get going.” Stoick smiled softly at his son. It’s been awhile since he’d seen that smile on his son.

            “All right, son. Best of luck, and come back in one piece!”

            “I will dad, don’t worry. I’ve got Toothless, after all.” On queue Toothless bounded up to the father and son, his tail wagging in excitement. Hiccup pulled himself up onto the saddle and did a few last checks to make sure all the gear would hold. Then the pair took off, Hiccup waving back to his father one last time before he was out of sight. He was slightly sad he would be away for a whole week, but he also knew that the fun he would have and the things they could find would be well worth it. Maybe even something to help Berk! One could dream.

            “You sure took your time.” A voice said from behind Hiccup. Cocky as ever, but that was in his nature as the Spirit of Fun. Hiccup just shook his head as the one and only Jack Frost “seated” himself behind him. It didn’t really count when he could fly and float at will, but it looked like it at least. Toothless would have a fit if it added more weight, that’s for sure.

            “Aww what, not happy to see me?” The spirit asked with a small smirk, looking up at the clear sky. He already knew the answer to that question but it would be out of the ordinary if he didn’t tease his boyfriend. The grunt from Toothless gave him the answer he expected, at least from the dragon. Some dragons liked him, but Toothless didn’t favor him that much. Maybe it was because he was weaselling in on his relationship with Hiccup, or maybe he didn’t like the cold. Maybe both, but he was sure Hiccup knew and wouldn’t tell him.

            “Of course, I’m happy to see you, you dork.” Hiccup said over his shoulder, paying attention to the map in his lap more than speaking. Toothless could fly easily on his own, but he had to make sure they were on the right course.

            “Dork? How dare you, you’re totally the dork here, Mr. Dragon-rider! I don’t invent gadgets every second.” Jack said and turned to face his back, hand over his chest with an expression of mock offense. His smirk returned when he heard the human chuckle.

            “Yeah, well I don’t nail people in the head with magic snowballs just to make them start snowball fights, or sled races.” Hiccup retorted and folded his map back up, stuffing it in a side pocket.

            “Touché.” Jack said and floated down again back into his previous position. They were both dorks.

            “So, where we are heading, boss?” He asked simply and put his hands behind his head.

            “The horizon and beyond, like usual. Only this time let’s head…west.” The pause was all but fake, the rider having already determined their path when he put the map away. It made for better conversation, though.

            “West it is.” Jack said and closed his eyes, flicking his staff towards the west. He could call on the wind to help him fly, so asking it to help Toothless out wasn’t much more to ask. Now with the wind at most of their backs, the gliding went smoothly and quickly. The pair sat in silence, listening to the waves and ocean currents. Sometimes they could talk for hours on end, never getting tired of the other. This was not one of those times. Now was the time for peace and relaxation while the Night Fury flew effortlessly. The only time anything eventful happened was when a pack of Thunderdrums emerged from the waters to fly with them for a brief time before heading down a different course. By sunset they were still flying, now actively looking for an island to make camp on. At half-crest, they finally found a small island with a few trees and nothing else. It was the only option for miles and Hiccup didn’t want to fly for days on end.

            Jack helped him set up camp as Toothless rested, the single tent up and fire roaring in no time. Hiccup could have done it on his own easily, but help was always appreciated. Besides, Jack slept with Hiccup so he might as well help set up the bed. As Hiccup began to prepare a small meal for himself, the spirit drew designs with ice on the ground.

            “You an artist, now?” Hiccup asked and chuckled a bit, glancing over at his boyfriend. The slight blush that spread over Jack’s cheeks only made Hiccup grin wider.

            “More than you, at least. As much as inventing is an art form, I think my ice looks a bit nicer.” At that the human rolled his eyes and looked back to his food.

            “Maybe, but mine has much more use.” Jack looked at him with slight shock at the comment, but was surprised further by the kiss planted on his lips. He kissed back and sighed as Hiccup pulled away with a cocky smirk.

            “Fine, you win. Gadgets are better than ice.” Toothless decided it was a good time to fire a bolt of plasma at Jack’s “drawing,” making him jump a foot in the air. The dragon and rider laughed at this, making Jack’s blush deepen. Their routine continued as normal, Hiccup and Toothless eating while the two boyfriends chatted. Sleep overtook Hiccup quickly once in the bedroll with Jack. The spirit didn’t need sleep, instead opting instead to watch the dragon tamer breathe and sleep peacefully. It wasn’t creepy, he just enjoyed seeing him in any peaceful state.

            When morning woke Hiccup up, Jack was already packing the excess gear up. It was a surprise to Hiccup, but a pleasant one none the less. After a quick breakfast for the two mortals, they were off again. Jack was more talkative today, speculating on what they would find. Normally they found a new type of dragon, one that never ceased to amaze. After being with Hiccup for years the dragon obsession had started to rub off on him. He didn’t have it as bad as his boyfriend, but it was definitely there.

            Before they knew it, the next day had passed and then the next. Aside from a few islands to add to the map, there was nothing new. Come to think of it, they hadn’t even seen any dragons. The Thunderdrums on the first day out were the last dragons they saw at all on their trip.

            “Hiccup, don’t you think it’s unusually barren out here?” Jack asked and looked over the rider’s shoulder.

            “Yeah, it is. Normally there are some dragons, at least. Or birds.” It was as if the entire area was picked clean of life aside from plants. Unsettling to say the least. It would have made sense to see a barren island or two, but for three days’ travel and still nothing? Not a good sign.

            “We should set down and inspect the next island we-“ In the middle of his sentence, Hiccup was interrupted by a fireball whizzing past them. The two snapped their heads around to look behind them. Out of the air a few dragons began to materialize; Changewings. About 5 in count, they seemed to be tailing the rider and Night Fury. For hours at least, if they had picked them up from the last island they saw. Hiccup and Toothless were a dangerous duo, but so were Changewings that had numbers on their side. Jack could help quite a bit as well, but it still wouldn’t be easy. Fireballs began to hurl past them in succession as the hostile dragons gained on them. Toothless was disoriented from the first close shot, but soon regained balance and dodged the rest much easier. One stray shot went straight for Hiccup, but Jack managed to disrupt it with a quick burst of ice.

            “They must be hungry if they’re attacking a dragon in the middle of nowhere with no land on the horizon!” Hiccup commented and helped guide Toothless.

            “You think they’re why the whole area is barren? Maybe they ended up starving themselves by accident?” Jack called back and deflected another lucky shot. By now the Changewings were on top of them, they shots getting harder to dodge and deflect. It was painfully obvious they couldn’t outrun them with the expedition gear. Hiccup took a sharp turn to the right to throw them off, hoping to get a shot in back at their pursuers. Toothless went upright and fired back at them, managing to hit one in the back. The others turned and fired back, recovering much quicker than their disoriented ally. Jack tried to help as much as he could, but there were too many fireballs for the three of them to handle. It’s not like Hiccup could do much more than help guide Toothless, and Jack could only do so much without getting in the way of Toothless’ own shots.

            “We won’t last out here!” Hiccup called to Jack. Out in the middle of the ocean was not exactly he best place to fight, not without a ship or somewhere nearby to seek refuge.

            “Try to head back towards the last island we saw, it’s our best bet!” Just as Jack finished shouting he was nailed in the chest by a fireball, knocking him out of the air.

            “Jack!” Hiccup quickly pulled Toothless down into a divebomb, going to catch the Spirit before he hit the water. The Changewings followed, still shooting. Just as Jack opened his eyes and began to float again, he caught a glimpse of a fireball heading straight for the rider and his dragon. It was as if time slowed as the firebolt hit Toothless in the tail, the resulting splash of fire catching the prosthetic fin on fire. Jack cried out as he watched the two hit the water and begin to sink. Hiccup was still firmly attached to Toothless and their gear only suck them quicker. Jack stopped right at the surface and froze up. He didn’t remember much about how he became a Guardian, but he did remember how he drowned in a frozen over lake. A fireball to the back reminded him of the hostile dragons. He had to trust that Hiccup and Toothless could make it to the surface on their own. If he didn’t take care of the Changewings they would surface to fireballs. As he righted himself, he fired blasts of ice at the dragons. Each dodge only brought more anger to him, making his attacks more powerful. After he hit two and caused ice to cover parts of their body, the others saw the challenge before them. They quickly helped their injured allies thaw the ice before fleeing from the Spirit.

            Jack quickly turned and looked down at the water frantically. They hadn’t surfaced. Even with everything he felt, even as the realization dawned on him that they had been underwater for too long, he couldn’t bring himself to dive and look. He couldn’t drown again, it wouldn’t harm him, but he couldn’t bring himself to even touch the calm water. Tears welled in his eyes as he covered his mouth. How could this happen? It was supposed to be like any other expedition. Not a barren trip and pathetic end. How could he let them drown, all because of a few hungry dragons? He didn’t know what to do now. It’s not like he had anyone else, and no one at Berk could see him. After almost half an hour Jack began to make his way back to Berk. He had to try to convey that Hiccup was gone, somehow. He flew at a much slower pace than Toothless had, but he continued at night, making up the time. He arrived at Berk the day Hiccup had been set to come back. He couldn’t look at anyone. Everyone was waiting for them to return. As they day went on their looks of hope turned darker into looks of worry. The next day almost the entire village searched the waters for him. Jack hoped desperately he could get someone’s attention, but it was fruitless. The children were distracted so he couldn’t get any of them to have fun, to potentially see him.

            On the fourth day, the search teams dwindled as the village feared the worst. None of them were taking it well, but that was to be expected. That morning Jack had built up the courage to go to Hiccup’s house. Everything was how it was left; neat and tidy. Only it felt infinitely more empty without the owner. When the door opened it made Jack jump, not expecting to see Stoick up in his room. He was out searching almost day and night.

            “Son…please, just a sign. Anything, just tell us you’re ok.” The Chieftain muttered to himself and walked towards the desk, running a hand over the edge. Jack felt his heart jump into his throat again. He wished desperately to tell Stoick what happened, that it was all his fault that Hiccup was dead. He leaned against the wall with a hand, his staff in the other. Caught in his grief, he didn’t notice the ice extending on the wall from his hand. Slowly but surely, it spread across the wall towards the desk. When Stoick saw it, all of the ice had formed into the Dragon Rider symbol Hiccup used on Toothless’ prosthetic fin.

            “What the…?” Jack looked up from the floor to make eye contact with Stoick, both of their eyes widening.

            “Who, a spirit? Jack Frost?” The Chieftain exclaimed and took a step back, while so did Jack.

            “You can see me? But how…?” As his gaze fell on the wall he gasped in realization. He got his chance.

            “What are you doing here? Do you know what happened to my son?” Stoick asked, hope dawning in his voice.

            Jack paused for a moment and felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. How was he going to react? Was he going to be angry at Jack? Would he break down? Would he be able to lead the village properly? No, he needed to know. He wanted to tell them what happened to Hiccup, and this was his chance.

            “Stoick…Hiccup is…” Jack felt tears welling up in his eyes as the look on Stoick darkened again.

            “No…he, but he has Toothless…” Stoick sat in the chair at the desk almost by falling as realization dawned on him.

            “W-we left for the expedition like everything was normal and headed west. After a-about two days we realized any islands we came across were barren. When I mentioned it to him a whole pack of Changewings…we tried to lose them but there was no land in sight. T-they hit me and when I came to, I saw them hit Toothless in the tail. I tried to fend them off, I thought they could get back to the surface but when the Dragons were gone and I still couldn’t see them…” By now tears were dripping down Jack’s cheeks, his breathing irregular with sobs.

            “I’m sorry, i-it’s all my fault. I-I tried to help but I couldn’t-“ The spirit was stopped by Stoick wrapping his arms around him.

            “I didn’t know much about Hiccup, obviously not enough to know that he could see you. But I can promise you that he wouldn’t have blamed you for what happened, and I won’t either.” Stoick wanted to cry, but he knew that he needed to be strong for everyone else. His grief could come later when the village was over the death of his son. Jack just hugged him back and sobbed, letting all his emotion out for once. After a moment, he let go and Stoick smiled sadly at him.

            “I’ll go tell the village the Gods told me of their fate.” Stoick said and started towards the door. With a small laugh and wipe of the eyes, Jack replied.

            “I’m no God, Stoick. Just a dorky spirit.”

            “I know you’re a spirit, but who else let me see you?” With that the Chieftain left the room, leaving Jack wide eyed and dumbfounded.

            Jack stayed and watched the village grieve, watch them have a sip burial for Hiccup and Toothless even without the bodies. They were with Ran, now, but with what they did in their short lives, they deserved every ounce of it. As the ship burned, Jack decided to head for the grotto where it all started. Maybe that would help him along a little with his grief. When he landed at the edge of the cliff leading in, he swore he could hear a voice. No, voices. As he jumped down, the sight before him made him think he’d died a second time. Standing there before him was Hiccup and Toothless, but different. Hiccup’s normal vest was made of gold, brown, and yellow leaves. His skin seemed tan, and his peg leg was gone; replaced by a normal leg and foot. Toothless seemed to glow bright, even though his scales were still pitch black. The end points on his wings and fins seemed to flicker and sway like flames, and his prosthetic fin was replaced with a real one. Jack blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes. He had to be hallucinating, it was the only explanation.

            “We’re real.” Hiccup said, his voice still the same. Those two words made tears fall down Jack’s cheeks before he ran forward and hugged Hiccup as tightly as he could. Hiccup laughed a little and hugged him back, surprised at the strength behind it.

            “B-but you drown, I-I saw you!” Jack exclaimed and looked at him, tears still falling freely.

            “Yeah…we did. The gear brought us down quickly and I got caught on it, pulling Toothless down quicker too. We died.” There was a pause as Jack realized what he was saying.

            “I’m Hiccup Amber III, now. Toothless didn’t get a special name, but I think that’s fine. I’m the Spirit of Autumn, and he’s the Spirit of Summer.” Hiccup smiled nervously at Jack, unsure how he would react.

            “Doesn’t mean I like you anymore now we’re both spirits, Icicle.” Jack looked over in astonishment. Toothless spoke! And he had a nickname for him! Wait, that nickname wasn’t meant to be a compliment.

            “I’m sorry Jack, I didn’t mean to-“ Before he could finish Jack kissed him, making the new Autumn spirit gasp and Summer spirit groan.

            “I don’t care, I’m just so glad you’re back. I know you’re not alive, but maybe this is better. Now I won’t outlive you.” With a small smile, Jack looked at his newly revived boyfriend. Hiccup smiled back and nodded.

            “Ok, when you two are done with the mushy-mushy stuff, we have a village to look after?” Toothless snapped the pair out of their stares and caused them both to blush. As much as he disliked the Winter Spirit, he made Hiccup happy which was enough. Kind of like how he tolerated Astrid. At least he didn’t have to worry about both of them now.


End file.
